I am not sure that I crazy about the Hercules being blond (I am partial to the Marvel version of the character) but other than that, I like what I see.

This is the first of two Hercules movies in development.  It stars Kellan Lutz and is directed by Renny Harlin (The Long Kiss Goodnight, Deep Blue Sea, Cutthroat Island, etc).  The other is by Brett Ratner, and stars Dwayne Johnson.  Harlin’s movie is being released by Summit/Millennium and will probably come out before Ratner’s, which is important because Millennium’s “Olympus Has Fallen” came out before Sony’s “White House Down,” and did very well, while the latter didn’t.

If the trailer for “Hercules: The Legend Begins” is any indication, visually it has a scope and a scale that invites comparisons to Peter Jackson’s ‘Rings’ films.

Besides, Renny Harlin is a significantly more interesting director that Brett Ratner, as well as better at his craft.  He’s done a greater variety of projects, and has tackled more genre films.  That being said, Dwayne Johnson is a much more engaging actor than Kellan Lutz.  I wouldn’t say that Lutz is ‘charisma-challenged,’ more so than Johnson is remarkably appealing.

Though Harlin’s film has Scott Adkins, who’s always interesting to watch.